Used book – A l'encre russe, Tatiana de Rosnay, Raymond Clarinard

2006. Nicolas Duhamel wants to renew his passport. The process will prove to be as trying as it is perilous. As his parents were born abroad, he must prove that he is indeed French. On top of that, a stunning discovery awaits him: his father is not Lionel Duhamel's son, but is in fact named Koltchine. For twenty-four years, Nicolas has been living a lie. Why was the secret so carefully kept? His father, an exceptional surfer, who disappeared off the coast of Guéthary when Nicolas was still a child, is no longer there to answer him. What did this intrepid father know about the circumstances of his birth anyway? Whatever the case, the circumstances of his death at sea remain shrouded in mystery. Deeply shaken by these revelations, which rekindle the pain of loss, Nicolas sets off on the trail of his origins all the way to Saint Petersburg. Against all expectations, a novel will emerge from this personal investigation, published under the pseudonym of Kolt, which will achieve phenomenal success and propel its author to the top of the best-seller lists. 2011. A little more arrogant, a tad more selfish after three years in the spotlight, from Hollywood to Singapore, Nicolas Kolt has chosen to celebrate his fiancée's birthday at Gallo Nero, a dream resort on the Tuscan coast. He hopes to find inspiration there for his eagerly anticipated second novel (by his parents, friends, readers, publishers). For three days where he thought he would find luxury, calm, and pleasure, in this paradise for the happy few, Nicolas will see storms and perils accumulate, his life flash before his eyes, and his future play out. Unforgettable guests (from the ostentatious couple to the glamorous family), the backstage of publishing (auctions and transfers), a vanity fair (duel on Facebook and Instagram for success), games of seduction (professional as much as sexual), Tatiana de Rosnay juggles with registers and plots to offer us the most alluring of nested novels. A reflection on identity as well as on writing, À l'encre russe demonstrates the power and virtuosity of the novelist. Her spectacular nesting novel marks the crowning of the queen of secrets.